Monday, December 9, 2013

Random Acts Of Kindness

This last year has been a hard year for us. There has been a lot of transition, a lot of trying to figure out what we are supposed to be doing. I will spare you all the boring tidbits for now of everything that has happened over the last year. But we are finally in a better place, moving forward, adjusting to our lives in New York. One thing that we have tried to do over the last year in particular is be generous. There was a long period of unemployment for both my husband and myself - and we determined that even though we didn't have much we still are blessed to be a blessing. I know that taking the focus off of ourselves and our problems helps us to not live in a "why me" mindset. Have you ever noticed that it's easier to be generous when you have less? It seems like the more you have, the less you rely on God, and the less generous you want to be. At least, that seems to be true for me. That's one of the things we are trying to learn, and feel like we were supposed to learn from this last year. It doesn't matter what you have or how much money you have, everyone can be generous. Whether it's finanically, with your time, making something for someone, a smile for someone in a bad mood - we ALL can be generous. It's not always easy, but it is always so worth it.

Yesterday, on my way to work I stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a hot chocolate and a blueberry muffin. I also paid for the car behind me. The cashier got a big smile on his face and his mood changed almost instantly. I hope I helped to make the day a little brighter for the guy behind me too. I don't want a pat on the back for that - just doing that little bit for someone else also put me in a much better mood. I looked at people differently for the rest of the night!

So let me encourage you to do something nice for someone today. No matter how big or how small - it will change your day, I promise.